Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
It appeared to be an easy assignment …nothing to sweat over for a man who now runs between three and five kilometres every morning straight after seeing his teenage son on to the school bus.
It started with a brisk walk and built upslowly (being the operative word) over time into a reasonable jog come rain orshine (more shine here than the other) in a determined bid to lose some weight.
There are defining moments in life when you get a shock to the system. Mine came after looking at a photograph taken of me abseiling across a rainforest in China which looked like a giant blob in fullflight, a human eclipse of the sun. The second was when I found out that two friends of a similar age had suffered strokes.
So, farewell to the cosy expat lifestyle and on with a fitter, slimmer Stan … funnily enough, acquaintances were soconcerned about my new appearance they asked the good lady wife, Kathryn,whether I’d been struck down with some deadly disease!
I didn’t think I looked sick, in fact I felt better inside and out and could slip back into some rather fetching clothes that had been gathering dust for years in my wardrobe.
At the weekend, my young bright reporter Kristian Harrison had to cancel his scheduled task to join the ‘City CentreBahrain - City Walkers’ in order to meet up with a party of motoring correspondents road testing a new Volvoin Oman, so I thought I’d dust down the notebook and step forward to take his place at the mall.
City Walkers, I thought; a fresh little stroll round one of my favourite destinations, a little window shopping and a cup of coffee before setting off to the office. How wrong could I be?
I was joined at the central galleria by around 40 people of all ages, from a university graduate in her early 20s to a retired businessman … and many had come prepared with mats and bottles ofwater.
It soon became obvious why this was not going to be a stroll in the park, or an air-conditioned shopping centre either. In bounced three super-fit bruisers, certified fitness personal trainers from Fitness First you wouldn’t want to mess with on a night out in Juffair.
Carl Guthrie-Evans, Emile Collins andMatthew Power, from a team of 14 professionals, were on site to motivate, train and educate participants with useful health tips … and they didn’t mess about.
The City Walkers spread out in a big circle and soon had us warming up, running on the spot, bending down, jumping up, stretching, resting, running on the spot, bending down, jumping up, resting, running on the spot … you get the gist.
I never realised just how energy-sapping squatting down on an invisible chair or holding the press up position for a minute can be.
The sweat was soon pouring from my brow and I had to admit trying to crawl like a crab on hands and toes without your belly touching the floor was quite beyond me.
I was very impressed with the ladies to my right and left, who, of a similar age, appeared to take the whole thing in their stride and push way beyond my capabilities.
Some of them were seasoned City Walkers. Indian expat, Ratnamal, 56, has been coming regularly since 2012. “It’swonderful,” she proclaimed. “Even if you go on vacation for a month, within three sessions your stamina levels have built up again and you can see the inches coming away from the places you want them to!
“It’s hard but they make it very interesting. We can laugh, we can scream and at the same time exercise. It is fun and you get to meet people of all ages and nationalities.”
That’s why Najma Chaudry, also in her 50s,joined up. The Kenyan expat has lived in the kingdom for eight years. “I was just walking round the mall and I saw some posters,” she explained. “I didn’t know anyone in Bahrain so I thought it might be a good way to start.
“I joined City Walkers and I was their 456th member in 2009 and I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve met people and made great friends and I definitely feel fitter too. There are different trainers every time which means the routines vary, so it never gets boring.”
Mohammed Juma, 54, a Bahraini bank manager, signed up just three months ago “I enjoy playing football and running but this is a different sort of exercise and you can really feel the difference.”
Rawia Beyhum, 38, of Canadian &Bahraini descent, joined in to continue to get back into shape after the birthof her baby, Sufia, now nine months old.
“I needed some inspiration to get back on a regular workout routine that was at the same time flexible to my available timings. I also didn’t want to spend so much on a personal trainer.
“I love the intensity of the workout and the focus on lunges.
“I also love the diversity of the trainers and various ages and nationalities of the members, providing an additional rocket of inspiration to the workout.”
And, surprisingly, it’s completely freewhich is probably why since its inception in April, 2010, the City Walkerssupervised energetic exercise programme has grown to 2,000 registered fitness enthusiasts, counting more than 200 regular members across the three weekly sessions.
All participants receive an exclusive ‘CityWalkers’ T-Shirt after joining three sessions. There is no age limit orrestrictions in joining the City Walkers.
The initiative is aligned with mall owner Majid Al Futtaim’s vision to create ‘great moments, for everyone, every day’.
“With health, fitness and well-being becoming growing concerns for residents, we are proud to offer our visitors lifestyle experiences that go beyond shopping and addresses their needs,”explained Duaij Khalifa Al Rumaihi, City Centre Bahrain’s senior mall manager.
The City Walkers programme takes places three times a week: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 9am to 10am.
To join the programme, interested participants need to register at the Ground Floor Customer Service Desk at CityCentre Bahrain and be ready to get fit!
I’ll be back.
